Sip on a Craft Rum Cocktail at Cotton and Reed

Distilling rum isn't rocket science — according to Reed Walker and Jordan Cotton, it's actually much more interesting than rocket science. The pair left their jobs at NASA, where they met and bonded over their love of artisan spirits, to open Cotton and Reed, a rum distillery in DC. They never looked back.

At Cotton and Reed, the pair not only distills rum using artisan techniques. Their bartenders also incorporate the rum into craft cocktails, which are served in the tasting room adjacent to the distillery. Come for happy hour to try the Dram Rickey, a mix of Allspice Dram rum, lime, soda, and chartreuse. Sip on the Rumba Palumba, which showcases white rum with Ilegal Mezcal, grapefruit, and lemon. Enjoy the Henhouse Sazerac, a combo of dark rum, Hennessy VSOP, and absinthe. When you taste a rum you like, grab a bottle to take home.